Fascinating Video Explores Hokusai's Iconic Painting THE GREAT WAVE OFF KANAGAWA

One of my favorite pieces of art is Hokusai’s iconic painting “The Great Wave Off Kanagawa”. For those of you familiar with the painting and curious about learning more, I’ve got a video for you to watch today created by art vlogger James Payne that offers an analysis of the piece.

It’s explained that the restrictive political environment of Japan and the lack of outside influences at the time caused Japanese artists to turn inward and search out inspiration from within their own experiences:

In 1639 Japan closed its borders and cut itself off from the outside world. Foreigners were expelled, Western culture was forbidden, and Entering or leaving Japan was punishable by Death. It would remain that way for over 200 years. …The Great Wave of Kanagawa by Hokusai was made around 1830 it was a time when the rest of the world was becoming industrialized and the Japanese were concerned about foreign invasions.

When talking about the meaning of the beautiful painting itself:

At first sight the great wave is simply an image of a serene and timeless japan but take a closer look and you see that this beautiful wave is about to engulf three boats of terrified fishermen as Mount fuji and the shores of Japan recede into the distance. This is an image of Japan fearful that the sea which has protected its peaceful isolation for so long will become its downfall.